Teach the heart to see, sport as an ally

Daniele Cassioli guest of the Sport and Culture Week UCBM

The sports conference of the Seventh Sport and Culture ofUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma this year he hosted Daniele Cassioli, Paralympic water skiing champion, blind from birth and author of the book "Teach the heart to see", which gave the title to the meeting dedicated to the memory of teacher. Sergio Morini and of Davide Cassioli, Daniele's brother, both disappeared last year. The event continued with the awarding of the students responsible for sports and fans, promoted by theASD of the University.

The words of thanks from the Director of the ASD Campus Bio-Medico opened the event Paolo Massimo Campogrande, to all the actors involved in the growing success of the sports activities dedicated to students and employees, to the guests of the evening and to the large audience gathered in the Aula Magna to hear the story of the Paralympic champion. 

"Our University, which was born from a Christian inspiration, has always recognized in the values ​​of sport such as commitment, team spirit, sacrifice, loyalty, inclusion, respect for others, those human foundations on to build the foundations for the training of our students, who will be the future professionals of our company - he said Alessandro Pernigo, Vice president UCBM - We want them to face their future work as a service to others, which is a bit like a sporting competition: it is only possible to do this by having developed muscles. It is through training that one can have the habitual disposition for what is good for oneself and for others."

Seeking the best version of oneself, developing the ability to look inside and go beyond the surface of things are the concepts that Daniele Cassioli is able to convey to young people. "I was very angry - said Cassioli - then I realized that anger and envy weren't useful feelings. The sportsman knows that a negative feeling is only useful if it helps you achieve a goal. Sport has taught me the importance of training, not only for movement, but also for gratitude and happiness." Interviewed by the journalist Marco Franzelli, athlete spoke about body acceptance, autostibut, inclusion and fear, which according to him represents true blindness. How do you win it? "Training courage. In sport, as well as in study, it is essential to prepare yourself in the best possible way to replace fear with security".

La prof Laura Dugo, teacher of the Departmental Faculty of Sciences and Biotechnologies, reflected on the parallelism between the figure of the coach and that of the teacher. "The role of the teacher is seen as one who has to transmit technical skills - explained Prof. Dugo - But it is equally important to establish a dialogue with the students, to make them understand that there is much more than the performance and the final grade. The university experience also serves to mature, grow and develop relational skills".

In his book "Teach the heart to see" the Cassioli athlete has collected stories, examples and reflections born from his personal experience as a sportsman and trainer to then pass them on to us as a friend would who accompanies us with a smile on a path of growth and awareness. His commitment was not limited to his competitive career, in 2019 he gave life to Real Eyes Sports, an Amateur Sports Association that promotes and organizes sports and recreational-motor activities for children with visual impairments. "The idea is that kids find their own way also thanks to sport - explained Cassioli - Which represents a pretext to fuel their motivation "to do". With the'Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma we have activated a volunteering project to involve employees and students in the activities carried out by the ASD".

He spoke of alliance and team spirit Alessia Gambardella, Alumna SANUM, artistic roller skating athlete, now nutritionist of AS Roma Calcio Donne. "In my sport I was used to having to support myself - said Dr. Gambardella - In the changing room dynamics, I discovered the trust that is established between the players. In the end, it's the group that makes the result."

The Sports Manager also took part in the meeting Gianni Gola, Honorary President of the National Observatory on Bullying and Youth Discomfort. At the center of his speech is sport which, thanks to the values ​​it manages to convey, is one of the weapons that our society should use to combat bullying, a scourge that affects millions of kids.